PLAYER, CARDS & DEAL

Rummy is a two-player card game.


  1. The game is played using 2 french decks and 2 jokers.

    1. A total of 52x2 + 2 =106 cards.

    2. In certain game modes, the deck may vary. 

  2. The cards in each suit rank from highest to lowest: K,Q,J,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2, while the ‘Ace’ card can be HIGH or LOW depending on its context. 

  3. Card value points for meld calculation:

    1. Joker - as placed in meld. 

    2. Ace - 1\11 - as placed in meld

    3. Face cards - 10.

    4. 2-9 - as the card’s number.

  4. Each player is dealt a total of 13 cards.

    1. The following card after dealing cards to both players is placed face-up to form the discard pile. 

    2. The remaining cards are placed face-down to form the draw pile. 

  5. Each round’s winner deals the next round.


THE GAME

GOAL

 Place ALL your cards on the meld area.


  1. Each player sorts their cards into sets and runs:

    1. Sets = three or four cards of the same rank (7-7-7)

    2. Runs = three or more cards of consecutive rank in the same suit (5-6-7)

    3. Sets and Runs are also called ‘Melds’.

  2. Aces:

    1. Aces can be placed in runs as a high or low number. e.g- Q-K-A or A-2-3.

      • The run is complete after the A (e.g. K-A-2 IS NOT a valid meld)

    2. A set of aces is considered HIGH for meld calculation.




TURN ORDER

  1. You start your turn by drawing a card from the deck or picking up a card from the discard pile.

  2. During your turn you may do the following actions: place melds, add, or switch.

  3. To end your turn, you must discard a card into the discard pile.


PLACING MELDS


  1. Create sets or runs in your hand 

  2. Place valid groups of cards (=melds) in the meld area.


INITIAL MELD REQUIREMENT


For some ‘Rummy’ games the FIRST lay-off must consist of sets/runs with a combined value of at least XX points (The value is determined by the game mode)


For example “Rummy 30” will require a minimum combined score of 30 Pts.


WIN


  1. "Go Rummy" - laying off the entire hand in a single turn is called going rummy. 

    1. Going rummy can be done by using adds and switches (see below),

    2. Going rummy can be done without completing the initial lay-off requirement.

  2. "Going Out" - laying off the cards from your hand in multiple turns.




ADD & SWITCH

Apart from forming melds, there are additional ways to place your cards in the meld area:


In some rummy variations, you must fulfill the initial drop requirement before the ‘add’ and ‘switch’ can be used


ADD 

placing a card that can fit in a specific set/run in the meld area


SWITCH

Replace a specific “numbered card"  to take the place of the joker within a placed meld. 


  • Switch from a set - placing a card in a set of 3 (or 4) will trigger the joker switch.

  • Switch from run - placing a card in the correct position of the joker within the meld will incur the switch


For “Rummy 30” and similar variations, you must fulfill the initial drop requirement before the ‘add’ and ‘switch’ can be used



The switched joker must be used in the SAME turn of the switch.


Examples:

  • Add:

    • For a run consisting of 4-5-6 of hearts, the 3 or 7 of hearts in their respective order. 

    • Additionally, a Joker card may act as any card.

  • Switch

    • In sets of 3 or 4, the Joker will be replaced with a card of the same set.

    • When placing a ‘5’ card in a ‘5-5-J’ or ‘5-5-5-J’ sequence, the ‘5’ card will replace the Joker in the placed in the set, and the ‘Joker’ card will be placed in hand. (Switch).



ADDITIONAL RULES


  •  A group of 2 Joker cards and a single face/numbered card is considered a set. 

    • Example: 5-Joker-Joker = Set.